New House Before & After: Entryway Buffet

When I moved into our first house back in 2006, I needed furniture and needed it badly. I think that’s when I started loving the process of finding second-hand furniture and making it my own. The TV stand, bar and buffet all were pieces that I updated with some paint and new knobs. The feeling of transforming something was so addicting and I was ready to do it to everything in my sight! Enter my husband who said, “Slow your roll, sister. Not everything needs to be painted, glazed, distressed or sanded.” So I stopped. But then we moved…and here we go again!!

This buffet was purchased at a Salvation Army in Tulsa a couple months before the first home was purchased. It was a weird brown wood tone (the inside of the door, I believe, was close to it) and had the most heinous hardware known to man. Conner and I had been dating for several years at this point but his parents hadn’t ever seen me do anything crafty so when we pulled up to their house with this purchase, they thought I was completely out of my mind. Luckily, they soon saw my plan – a distressed black paint and some new, pretty hardware! It was a quick and simple (and cheap!) update that made it perfect for our first house.

When we moved into our new house, I knew this piece would be perfect for our entryway. We have a pretty large area but the black was just blah and made the entryway feel cramped and crowded. I was going for welcoming, open and airy so the piece needed an instant update. I took off the hardware and gave it several coats of primer to begin the transformation.

Here she is now!! (sorry I don’t have a next-step picture. I’m working on getting better at this) After the primer dried, I painted two coats of “Teal Zeal” by Behr on the buffet. After I let this dry overnight, I took some glaze and painted it on. I used the Ralph Lauren glaze you can buy at Home Depot and had them tint it with black.

The process was pretty simple. I painted on the glaze with a sponge brush and then used one of Conner’s old undershirts to wipe off what I didn’t want shown. I started with the top since I knew most would be covered by my ‘stuff.’ I’m glad I did because I ended up having to go back over the top with a light coat of the teal to cover up the glaze that I didn’t wipe off quickly enough. It ended up looking dirty but a light coat of teal made it all better again!

Here is a close-up of one of the doors. The hardware was what I had on it before and I still like it so this project was very cheap and extremely quick. I wouldn’t say it was too easy, just a process of trial and error. The end result would be different for each person, depending on how much ‘distress’ you want shown. The cracks and crevices were the easiest because I knew I wanted the most black in those areas. The front of the doors and the sides of the piece were the hardest since I wanted some distressing, but mostly teal, to show.

Here is another view, with the front door on the right. The silver lamp was actually from one of the houses Conner rented in college. The owner left it there and the boys he lived with didn’t want it. I took the brassy piece of ugliness and spray painted it silver! I bought a new white shade and a prettier lamp was born.

The “Steen” sign was a wedding present from one of my pledge sisters and the boot picture was a free online OSU purchase with a coupon I received. I purchased the orange tray and candles from Pottery Barn with a gift card I had last year. The candles have some pretty cool texture on them and are perfect for the fall! I purchased the fall filler in the tray from Target and the clear glass vase and the mirror are both half price specials from Hobby Lobby.

LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! I feel the same way, I want to refinish EVERYTHING in the house :) My hubs on the other hand is very 'anti shabby chic crap' haha! I usually win that battle though :) I love the color you picked, I haven't tried that color, but I will now!!!

Very brave color choice that looks absolutely fabulous! What a great way to set the tone for your home in your entryway. I especially like the way the orange tray contrasts with the turquoise of the buffet. Thanks for sharing!

Hey new follower here! Ooooo doggie do I love how that buffet turned out! Nice job. Would go great with my mosaic mirror I just did. Looking forward to checking out your blog.Love to have ya join me on mine as well.http://dejarenew.blogspot.comtake care. Deb

Thanks everyone! It was a fun process to do this piece and so easy! I think this would work well on any piece of furniture, no matter the style, so try it and let me know how it worked for you! Thanks for visiting and commenting :)

About Me

My name is Laura and I love a good DIY. Home decor is my passion and I enjoy creating a better place to call home. This blog is my virtual journal and is all about the style of my life. I can't always guarantee the best grammar or best photos but I do guarantee this blog will always be 100% authentic. Thanks for reading!

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